Photograph by: Handout photos
, Vancouver Sun

Before we gallop too fast and too far into the new gardening season, let's not make the mistake of overlooking the value and importance of planting summer-flowering bulbs.

They are beautiful, easy to plant, guaranteed to succeed and produce spectacular displays - and they are available right now.

One more thing - with the exception of rarities and novelties, they are also very reasonably priced.

Lilies are the No. 1 in this category of summer beauties.

They come in a fabulous range of colours and sizes. If you make a careful selection - picking some from all the key categories - you can create a seamless continuity of flower colour in your garden from midsummer through to fall.

But don't just take my word for the value and flower-power of lilies. Listen to Pam Dangelmaier, co-owner of Botanus in Langley, Canada's top mail-order supplier of bulbs.

"We sell thousands and thousands of lilies each spring. Demand has increased over the past few years.

"I believe this has to do with one simple fact; lilies are lovely! They are easy to grow, provided you give them good drainage and at least four to eight hours of sunlight a day.

"They are one of the most versatile perennial flowering plants available to the gardener, coming in every size, shape and form imaginable - fragrant and non-fragrant, too."

Dangelmaier also reckons they are a good choice for urban gardeners working in limited space as lilies can easily be grown in containers.

"To top it all off, they are extremely affordable and unlike many other flowering perennials do not require a lot of fuss or muss.

"They provide that instant gratification that we're all looking for in our gardens."

Yep, I agree with all that. Lilies certainly are of especially good value because if you plant them properly they faithfully return year after year and, in the case of the Oriental varieties, arrive at a time when the garden needs a fresh injection of colour most - towards the end of summer.

And in the popular later-flowering Oriental category, you'll find some stunning offerings this year; such as the breathtaking densely petalled red-and-white striped 'Magic Star' and equally high-impact all-white 'Polar Star' and soft-pink 'Sweet Rosy'.

These types of lilies are also part of groups known as "Kiss Lilies" which were initially bred to produce scent-free, pollen-free flowers and a more compact shape suitable for containers.

So if you are allergic to pollen, you can still grow some of these pollen-free cultivars. It also solves the problem of the messy stamen.

Traditional tried-and-tested favourites among the Orientals are topperformance cultivars such as 'Casa Blanca', 'Acapulco' and 'Stargazer'.

But you will also find some specially bred for growing in containers on patios, such as 'Starlight Express', 'Garden Party' and 'Farolito'.

My favourites tend to be in the earlier-flowering Asiatic group, which bloom in June through to July, and have more flat, open flowers.

I love the pure yellow of 'Gironde' and the dark purple, almost black of 'Landini' and the candy floss-pink kissed petals of 'Lollypop,' which has been a showstopper in my perennial border for years.

But it is good to be aware that with the Asiatic group there are many subgroups with some stunning varieties, such as the more lightly-fragrant Asiatic Tango collection with such delightful cultivars as the redandblack 'Olina' and tropical orangecoloured 'Mango.'

The Asiatic Patio lilies are dwarf varieties, bred to grow only 35 cm (14 inches) high in containers and produce intensely colourful blooms on sturdy, deep green stems. Look for ones with "Tiny" in the name, such as 'Tiny Ghost,' 'Tiny Spider' and 'Tiny Sensation,' as well more exotic tropical-flavoured ones like 'Orange Sensation,' with its two-tone shades of tangerine.

The LA Hybrids were all the rage a few years ago, being a new creature bred by crossing the standard Asiatic lily with the traditional Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum). 'Courier' has beautiful clean creamy coloured flowers, while 'Dazzle' delivers a bright yellow splash of sunshine.

After you have picked out some Orientals and some Asiatics, look for some trumpet lilies. You will find two major categories, Oriental Trumpets (OT lilies) that are a cross between Orientals and traditional trumpet lilies, and the standard, old favourites.

Plant these in small clumps in the middle of your perennial border for a wonderful show in August.

Complete your lily shopping by throwing in a few tiger lilies and some novelty turk's cap (Martagon lilies).

L. tigrinum splendens is still the definitive orange tiger lily with its petals speckled with black spots. But L. leichtlinii is a beautiful yellow and 'Hiawatha' is a knockout red.

Lilium martagon is the pick of garden connoisseurs who love the delicacy and attractiveness of its recurved petals.

You will find all of the lilies mentioned here available online at Botanus's website at www.botanus.com

You can also find an excellent selection of lilies in all the major categories at GardenWorks in Burnaby, where they are also selling colour-coordinated packs (Peach Salsa, Cherry Mousse and Pink Lemonade) of 12 bulbs for $17.99.

HOW TO DO IT

You will spend more time shopping for these bulbs than you will planting them. It takes only a few minutes to plant them; a little longer if you have to prepare a container.

- Planting summer-flowering bulbs is about as foolproof as gardening gets. Not much can go wrong. The biggest mistake you are likely to make is to plant bulbs in too much shade in ground that is too boggy and slowdraining. Good drainage and at least six hours of sunshine are essential for success.

- You can put lily bulbs in all this month. Eucomis, cannas and callas are a little more frost sensitive, so it is probably best to wait until April.

Acidanthera can also be planted now in well-drained soil.

- Make it easy on yourself and invest in a bulb-planter, ideally one with a quickrelease handle which is useful for planting lilies. You can use it again in the fall to plant spring-flowering bulbs. It's a good investment.

- A kneeling pad can take the pain out of kneeling down during planting. Gloves will protect your hands and keep them clean.

- Find a spot in your garden that gets at least four to six hours of sunshine a day. The soil should be moist, but well-draining.

- Once you have decided on your spot, place your kneeler on the ground, get down and use your bulb planter to push them into the earth, making a hole 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches deep).

- Lilies not only produce roots from the bottom of the bulb, but also from the bottom of the stem. It is a common mistake not to plant bulbs deeply enough.

- Place the bulb in the hole, back fill with the soil still held in the bulb-planter. Pull a little more soil over the spot to finish.

- Tall lilies will require staking later on. You can do it just before they bloom or at time of planting, if you don't mind looking at the stake. Be careful when you stake, though, that you don't damage the bulb.

FIND SPACE FOR THESE SUMMER-FLOWERING BEAUTIES

Other great summer-flowering bulbs to get into the ground or into pots this month include the following:

- he pineapple lily (Eucomis bicolour) produces a beautiful pineapple-like flower and makes a great container plant. Being a little frost-tender, these bulbs are best grown in pots so they can be moved into a frost-free place for winter. 'Leia' produces pink flowers, but you can also buy a mix of bulbs to create an attractive display of white, green and pink blooms.

- The peacock gladiolus (Acidanthera bicolour murielae) is another top-notch choice. These small bulbs produce fragrant white flowers with a chocolatepurple blotch in the centre. They are best planted in clusters.

- Gladioli often get dismissed as oldfashioned and as pedestrian florist flowers, but the novelty Dutch hybrid, 'Espresso' with its deep red flower, could change your mind. It is all in the art of the planting. Use the colour and shape of the soaring stem in the right way and it can add a sensational touch to your flower garden.

- Some glads grow 1.5 m (6 feet), others such as the Tiny Tot hybrids grow only 60 cm (2 feet), making them great for containers.

- Callas and cannas. You probably want to wait until you are planning your dahlias next month to do these two. They are frost-sensitive, so it is not jumping the gun, although you should to buy them and get them going in containers. 'Black Forest' is a dramatic near-black variety while 'Tropical Salmon' is a more compact canna that would also be perfect for a container, even on a sunny patio or balcony.

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